By Danial Dzulkilfy
SHAH ALAM, July 2 — Selangor’s public transportation system is adapting to meet the evolving needs of its residents, with the state’s demand-responsive transit (DRT) service steadily gaining popularity.
State executive councillor for trade, investment, and mobility Ng Sze Han said the service, still in its trial phase, is nonetheless gaining traction among university students and those considering other transport options for first- and last-mile connectivity.
“When we look at the data and compare it to last month, the take-up rate has been very encouraging. This shows that the DRT meets the initiative’s purpose of providing first-and-last-mile connectivity.
“We are seeing an increasing trend in usage, particularly around the Universiti Putra Malaysia campus in Serdang. Interestingly, the Petaling Jaya Utara area has also shown encouraging pick-up rates.
“Of course, the demand is still higher in university areas as students are very tech-savvy. They also need it to help ferry them to public transportation hubs, the mall or supermarket, basically to help them with their day-to-day routine,” he said in a recent interview with Selangor Journal.
The state’s DRT service is currently being deployed in Puchong, Ampang, Bandar Utama, Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, Klang, Serdang, and Hulu Kelang.
Despite DRT’s growing popularity, Ng said the Smart Selangor Bus service has also shown an increased ridership in recent months, almost reaching pre-pandemic levels.
More harmonisation between the two public transportation modes can be expected in the future, with the free bus service to complement the DRT.
He acknowledged that the state is looking to introduce the DRT service to certain routes currently being served by Smart Selangor buses.
“We cannot directly compare these two different services because they serve different purposes.
“Smart Selangor buses, for instance, focus on longer distances, maybe from one township to another. DRT, on the other hand, is limited to a restricted area.
“In terms of ridership, Smart Selangor Bus is slowly returning to normal, meaning pre-pandemic levels. I just had a standing committee meeting a couple of days ago and received a report that the ridership is now quite okay on most routes,” Ng said.
As to whether the state is considering implementing the DRT service statewide and permanently incorporating it as part of the public transportation ecosystem, he said the Selangor government is still collecting data.
This ensures that if it is implemented in the future, it will be subject to the state’s budgetary strength, as public transportation services are usually subsidised by the government.
“In fact, in Malaysia and most other countries, these services rely heavily on subsidies because otherwise, they cannot function normally. So, yes, I do think we will still need to provide subsidies for a very long time, be it the local, state, or Federal government.
“The issue is not whether to continue giving subsidies or not; it is whether we will maintain the same amount for Smart Selangor buses (to complement DRT), for example. We need to maximise every cent we spend, so we want to make the most of our limited allocation.
“There is still a possibility that we will convert certain Smart Selangor Bus routes to the DRT service to maximise our allocated spending,” Ng said.
